One of my oldest and dearest friends Katrena called me and it was so good to hear her voice. We communicate daily. Text messages and Facebook are our predominant modes of communication. We're both crazy busy and it allows for the ultimate in flexibility. Phone calls are reserves for lifelines typically. When things get so overwhelming that a text just isn't enough.

But hearing her voice today and knowing that she was participating in this count down with me, made me feel so incredibly loved.

That was the definite high of my day.

The low of my day was not being able to reach the beneficiary of my call, Aunt Cordy.

She is my mother's only living sister and the only remaining sibling of my mother's that I still remain in contact with. She was a seamstress before the work was exported to Mexico where it could be done more cheaply. After that, she worked as a housekeeper.

The thing is my Aunt Cordy has always been incredibly hardworking and even in the golden years of her life, she's busy raising her two great grand-daughters. A herculean task for anyone but especially for a woman in her 70's.

I've been calling her every day and I haven't spoken with her yet. That usually means her daughter has her phone. The dynamics of that relationship won't steal my Christmas joy.